Tablet dispenser



1958 E. v. TAYLOR TABLET DISPENSER Filed April 29, 1954 INVENTOR EUGENE v. TAYLOR BY: fi/Lm/H. I 1 3% 5% 3M ATTORNEYS.

a 4 +553: INHI HHI i|\i\\\\\\\\\\\ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIII ll TABLET DISPENSER Eugene V. Taylor, Chicago, 111.

Application April 2% 1954, Serial No. 426,356

2 Claims. (Cl. 221--199) My present invention relates in general to tablet dispensers, and, more specifically, is directed to a combined tablet dispenser and writing instrument.

For medical reasons, many people today regularly consume tablets, capsules and pills of one variety or another. For example, saccharin tablets are frequently used as a substitute for sugar in beverages such as coffee and the like. In the use of saccharin tablets in public, some people feel embarrased when they have to remove the necessary tablet or tablets from their purse or pocket and to place it by hand in the beverage to be sweetened. Likewise, when people are in public, they find it to be distasteful to have to place other varieties of tablets by hand into a beverage or food in preparation for consumption. 1

It is an object of my present invention to provide means whereby saccharin or other medicinal tablets may be inconspicuously dispensed into beverages or foods.

In accomplishing the above object, I provide a small elongated, tablet carrying device from which individual tablets may be dispensed by means of a single swingable tablet carrying tray. The size and shape of the tablet dispenser is such that it is adapted to be conveniently carried about in a purse or pocket and used inconspicuously in public. As a feature of the present invention the tablet dispenser is further rendered inconspicuous by fabricating it in the form of a writing instrument such as a pencil.

Now in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of constructing and using tablet dispensers in accordance with the principles of my present invention, I shall describe in connection with the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 11 in Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and shows the internal mechanism of the tablet dispenser of my present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the dispenser of Figure 1, taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispenser of Figure 1 taken along the line 33 in Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispenser of Figure 1, taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a typical tablet which is adapted to be carried and dispensed from the tablet dispenser shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the small, elongated, tablet dispenser of my present invention comprises an upper casing or body member 10, which may, for example, be tubular. Bushing means such as axially spaced bushing members 12, 14 and 16 are secured within the body member respectively at the top, intermediate and bottom portions thereof.

Fa e Patent ice Extending through, and secured within, the bushing members 12, 14 and 16 is a tablet carrying column 18.-

The tablet carrying column 18 preferably is tubular with the longitudinal axis thereof being ofiset or spaced from the longitudinal axis of the tubular casing 10. A plurality of tablets 20, one of which is shown in Figure 5, are

adapted to be loaded into the column 18. The cross-' sectional shape of the column 18 may be varied, as will.

tubular head member 26, secured to the upper portion of the body member 10, and has secured thereon an operating knob 28.

Immediately below the lower bushing member 16, a tablet supporting or carrying tray 30, having a recess 31 for receiving a single tablet 20, is secured by means of a pin member 32 to the actuator 22.

Now when the knob 28 is rotated, the actuator 22 and tablet tray 30 are pivoted, with the latter being movable from the solid line to the dotted line position shown in Figures 1 and 4. The tray 30 serves to swing a tablet 20 to the outside of the tablet dispenser where the latter may be tilted and the tablet dropped into a beverage or food. As the tray 30 is pivoted, and the tablet recess 31 is moved out of register with the column 18, the body of the tray swings under the tablets remaining in the column 18 for preventing them from dropping out of the latter.

The lowermost end of the actuator 22 is journaled in a base member 34 which is axially aligned with, but spaced from, the body member 10. The members 10 and 34 are rigidly interconnected by means of a curved strap member 35. The base member 34 has an enlarged bore 36 formed in the upper end thereof for the accommodation of a torsion spring 38. The spring 38 is arranged about the actuator 22 and is secured at one end in the latter and at the other end in the base member 34. The spring 38 tends to maintain the actuator 22 and tablet carrying tray 30 in the solid line position shown in Figure 1.

The base member 34 not only receives the lower end of the actuator 22, but, in addition, serves to support the writing mechanism of a pencil or pen. In the embodiment of writing mechanism shown in Figure 1, the inner end of a piece of lead 41) is received in the axial bore 42 of the base 34. The lead 40 extends axially through the center of a split-cone expanding collet 44 which is adjustably maintained in gripping engagement with the lead 40 by means of a collar member 46 threaded onto the reduced nose portion of the base member 34.

So as to maintain the tablets 20 within the column 18, a cover member 48 is hinged at 50 t0 the upper tubular head member 26. Although the cover 48 is normally biased to the solid line position shown in Figure l by means of a torsion spring 52, nevertheless it is adapted to be pivoted to the dot dash line position shown in Figure 1 in order that tablets may be added to the column 18. In addition, so as to permit the combined tablet dispenser and writing instrument to be conveniently carried about in a pocket, a suitable spring clip member 54 is aflixed to the side of the tubular head member 26. Since the dispenser is diminutive, it may be manipulated inconspicuously anywhere for dispensing tablets into beverages and foods. The dispenser is further rendered inconspicuous by its fabrication in the form of a writing instrument, which is a common article.

Patented Dec. as, 1.958

aste- Tabletscontained .within' the. column 18 may. ..be...dis.

pcnsed therefrom as follows. When the dispenser is held substantially vertically, the force of gravity will cause one of'the tablets 20 to settle within the tablet recess 31 formed in the tablet supporting tray 30. By rotating the knob 28 with the fingers through an arc of approximately" under the tablets remaining in the column 18 for pre-- venting them from dropping out of the latter.

After the tablet has dropped from the tray 30, the knob "28 of the dispenser may be released and the spring 38 will cause the actuator 22 and tray 30 to return to the solid line position shown in Figure 1. As soon as the tray 30 returns to the solid line position, the tablets within the column 18 move downwardly if the tablet dispenser is returned to a substantially vertical position, and a tablet drops into the tablet recess 31. The aforedescribed dispensing operation may then be repeated until the desired number of tablets have been ejected.

Now, while I have shown and described what I believe to be a preferred embodiment of my present invention, it will be understood that various rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim;

1. A tablet dispenser comprising a tubular body member with axially spaced bushing members secured therein, a tablet carrying column extending through and secured in said bushing members with the axis of the column being off-set from the axis of said body member, an actuator extending through and journaled for rotary movement in said bushing members with the axis of the actuator being spaced from the axes of said column and said body member, a tablet supporting tray secured to said actuator at the lower end of, said body member and having a tablet receiving recess therein, a base member axially aligned with said body member immediately below said tablet supporting tray, said body member and id base. mem e g rigidly t on stss y asttaa member, the lower end of said actuator being journaled in said base member, a torsion spring connected between said actuator and said base member and normally serving to maintain the tablet receiving recess of said tablet tray below said column, and said actuator being rotatable whereby said tablet receiving recess may be pivoted from beneath said column for permitting a tablet to drop from the tray recess upon tilting of the tablet dispenser.

2. A tablet dispenser comprising a body member with axially spaced bushing members secured therein, a tablet carrying column extending through and secured in said bushing members with the axis of the column being 0&- set from the axis of said body member, an actuator extending through and journaled for rotary movement in said bushing members with the axis of the actuator being spaced from the axes of said column and said body member, a tablet supporting tray. securedto said actuator, at

the. lower end of said body member and having a tablet.

receiving recess therein, a base member axially aligned with said body member immediately below said tablet supporting tray, said body member and said base mem her being rigidly interconnected by a strap member, the lower end ofsaid actuator being journaled in said base member which serves to support writing mechanism, a torsion spring connected between said actuator and said. base member and normally serving to maintain the tablet receiving recess of said tablet tray, below said column, and said actuator being rotatable whereby said tablet receiving recess may be pivoted from beneath said column for permitting a tablet to drop from the tray recess upon tilting of the tablet dispenser while the end of said tablet tray, opposite said tablet receiving recess is moved beneath said column for preventing tablets from dropping therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 253,272 Elliot Feb. 7, 1882 1,158,696 Leonard Nov. 2,11915? 2,060,406 Tiede Nov. 10, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,999 Great Britain 

